Folding case.



No. 637,125.l A Patented Nov. 19, 19111.l

.1, T. cATHcAT.

FOLDING CASE.

(Application led Apr. 10,11901.)

(No Modl.)

Gmov'negs No. 687,125. Patented Nav. :9, |901. J. T. LATHCART. FOLDING CASE.

(Applicatinn filed Apr. 10, 1901.) (No Modem' 2 S'hets-Shet 2.

Nrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN THOM CATHCART, OF CHAMBERSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

` i FOLDING CASE.

SEEGIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,125, dated November 19, 1901. Application filed April 10, 1901. Serial No. 55,198. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN THoM CATHCART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chambersville, in the countyof Indiana and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to shipping cases or boxes, and has special reference to that type of receptacles which are foldable or collapsible, so as to be capable of being folded or collapsed into a small compass and also capable of being easily and readily set up for use.

To this end the invention primarily contemplates an improved folding `case or box possessing special utility for shipping goods of various kinds and so constructed that it can be readily folded or collapsed and returned in such condition to the shipper for further use, thus saving the cost of new boxes or cases, inasmuch as the folded or collapsed receptacles can be returned to the shipper by freight at a low rate.

A further object of the invention is to associate with the foldable or collapsible case improved fastening means so constructed and arranged as to provide for vsecurely fastening the members of the case together when the same are either in a set-up or knockdown condition.

With these and other objects in view,which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

While the essential features of the improvementare necessarily susceptible to some modiiication, still the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying draw ings, in Which- Figure l -is a perspective View of a folding case or box constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing the case in a set-np condition, with both the top and bottom covers thrown open. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the case, showing the same set up, closed, and fastened. Fig. 3 is a cross` sectional view onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the case-fastening, showing more clearly the construction and relation ofthe lock and hasp members of said fastening. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of. the case, showing the same folded or collapsed and held in such position by the fastening.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying ont the invention the several members of the case or box may be made of any suitable material, such as of steel or aluminium plates or of wood, and also the same may be constructed in any suitable size, according to the use to which the invention is placed. However, in all embodiments of the invention, the same involves in its general organization a folding or collapsible body l, comprising the connected series of side and end members 2 and 3, respectively. When the body l is set up, the sides and ends 2 and 3 correspond to the ordinary side and end pieces of the common type of rectangular box-body; but the present invention contemplates hinging together the said side and end members 2 and 3 at their contiguous edges or ends by means of suitable hinge-joints 4E. These hinge-joints are preferably formed by providing the said lside andend members 2 and 3 of the folding body with a plurality of hinge-eyes 5, alined at the joints to receive hinge-rods 6, said rods also serving to reinforce the case or box structure at the corners; but it will of course be understood that other forms of hinge-joints may be resorted to for accomplishing the hinging together of the several members or pieces of the body. By reason of the hinged connection of said side and end members the body 1 may be readily folded or collapsed into a liat condition and also swung into an open set-up shape, as shown in Fig. 1 of 'the drawings.

When the foldable or collapsible body is opened into the set-up form, the open top and bottom of said body are designed to be inclosed by the top and bottom covers?v and 8, respectively, which are hinged at one edge, as at 9, respectively to the opposite side edges of one of the side members or pieces 2 of the foldable body.

IOC)

The hinge-joints 9 for the top and bottom covers 7 and 8 are preferably of the same construction as the hinge-joints4 of the body members; but in order to provide for a proper folding of the covers or cover-leaves when the body is collapsed or knocked down one of the hinge-joints 9, which for sake of clearness may be referred to as the hinge-joint for the bottom cover 8, has all of the hingeeyes 9 thereof projecting from the same side of both the side member 2 and the cover 8, so that the latter can only fold in one direction-namely, inward-either over the open bottom of the body when set up or over thev folded body members when the body is collapsed, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

The hinged top and bottom covers 7 and 8 are provided with peripheral holding-flanges 10, adapted to take over the top and bottom edges, respectively, of the body l when set up, thus serving to hold or retain said body in the set-up condition. To provide for locking or fastening the covers when the case is either set up or collapsed, there are employed two flexible strap-sections 14, one section being secured to the free edge of the top cover and the other section to the free edge of the bottom cover. The free ends of these chainsections are provided with a suitable interlocking device, one exam ple of which is herein illustrated. This device comprises a haspbar 13 and a receiving member 12, having a dog 16 for engaging said bar. The particular construction of this locking device forms no part of the present invention, but is described and claimed in another application for patent to be filed by me.

The strap-sections 14 may consist of a se ries of loosely-connected chain-links, such as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, or other equivalent flexible connections which may be readily folded about the edges of the collapsed case, so as to permit the fastening to be utilized with the case either set up or collapsed.

When the box is set up and the cover closed, it is simply necessary to interlock the free ends of the straps 14. When the body is collapsed, the cover, previously designated as the bottom cover-section, is swung over the folded body members at one side thereof, while the cover-section is swung over the opposite side of the collapsed body. With the parts in this position the free ends of straps 14 are again engaged to securely retain the parts in this position.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.- A folding case of the class describcd,com prising a collapsible body consisting of side and end members hinged together at the corners, and top and bottom covers hinged at one edge respectively to opposite side edges of the same side member, and a case-fastening having separate members carried by the free edges of the top and bottom covers and arranged to be locked in front of the side member opposite to the one to which the covers are hinged.

2. In a case of the class described, the combination with the collapsible hinged body, and the hinged top and bottom covers; of a casefastening consisting of separate interlocking members having short flexible sections connected respectively with the separate covers, said short liexible sections being foldable about the edges of the body when collapsed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN THOM CATHCART.

Witnesses:

HARRY LONG, l JACOB WETTLING. 

